News

Two men are facing several charges after allegedly breaking into several local businesses along West Mt. Pleasant Avenue to steal cash, electronics, and liquor.

At 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, Livingston Police received a call from the security monitoring service for Wells Fargo Bank at 313 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue. The burglar alarm at the bank had been activated and two people were being observed by live video inside the bank.

Officer Chris Grieco was responding to the bank when he observed a 2003 Hyundai leaving the area. The car was stopped and officers saw that the two men in the car were wearing the same clothes as the people that had been observed in the bank.

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Livingston will have an operational community pool by next weekend, according to township officials.

Mervyn V.T. Haines Pool will open on Friday, June 26. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., earlier than the typical opening time of 1 p.m.

Unless registrations take a sharp increase, Northland Pool will not open this season. Haines typically has triple the attendance of Northland. Pool registration is currently at about one-third of the normal numbers, so it does not make financial sense to open both pools, although Northland is ready to open if needed, according to Jennifer Walker, director of Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services. She briefed the Township Council on the status of pools opening at the Monday, June 15, meeting.

This past Sunday, June 14, was Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of the “Stars and Stripes” as the flag of the United States of America on June 14, 1777.

For this week’s and last week’s edition, the Tribune asked veterans and residents to briefly reflect on what the flag means to them.

Walter Joyce

The American flag, to me, represents the greatest country in the world. It is historical symbolism, with the 13 red and white stripes representing the 13 original states, and the 50 stars representing the 50 individual states that, collectively, are united under God, to provide liberty and justice for all its citizens.

As a Boy Scout, I learned how to properly respect our American flag, and how it represents the sacrifices of many men and women who fought in battles to protect us and maintain our freedom.

The Class of 2020 will have a single, in-person ceremony with no family present, according to an announcement during the Monday, June 15, virtual Board of Education meeting.

During the livestreamed meeting, Livingston Public Schools superintendent Matthew Block also expressed frustration about the guidelines the district has received from the governor’s office about education matters. He said that information frequently comes late and often changes.

The high school administrative team has been looking at scenarios for in-person, virtual, and even carbased graduation ceremonies since it became clear that remote learning would last longer than a few weeks, he said.

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At the Monday, June 15, Livingston Township Council meeting, township manager Barry Lewis briefed the Council on the 2020 budget before members voted to pass it. Also discussed were the openings of camps and pools, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which are all discussed in articles elsewhere in this edition of the Tribune. The meeting was livestreamed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

At the start of the meeting, the Council showed a promotional video, encouraging residents to shop and dine locally as businesses begin to reopen. The video may be seen on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page at the start of the meeting video.

By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: This week, Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Living-ston Philanthropies, Inc., reflects on the plight of the homeless with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    •    •    •
In my role as director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), I continue to interact with our long-time distribution associates during the pandemic. It’s a fact that conditions are just horrible for the homeless and profoundly poor. It is even worse than before the emergency – much worse.

More than a hundred people joined the “Black Lives Matter Protest Against Racism and Oppression” at the Livingston Town Center on Sunday afternoon.

Lauren Posklensky, Livingston High School class of 2016, and Nicolas Ramirez, class of 2020, organized the event, along with LHS graduates Dev Rathod (class of 2018) and Alex Herbst (class of 2016).

“We aim not only to mourn the deaths of Black citizens as the result of police brutality and racism, but to petition for specific and immediate change in Livingston to ensure a better future,” said Posklensky.

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As of Wednesday morning, June 10, the Essex County health department has reported that a total of 491 Livingston residents have tested positive for COVID-19. 64 of those residents have died as a result of the virus.

On Friday, June 5, Governor Phil Murphy extended the public health emergency in New Jersey an additional 30 days.

“We will continue our path forward, while remaining vigilant and prepared to act should there be a new outbreak of COVID-19,” Governor Murphy said.

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Livingston High School’s Class of 2020 will have an in-person graduation after all. Details were still being discussed as of press time Wednesday, but the news was confirmed following Governor Phil Murphy’s Tuesday declaration allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 500 people beginning July 3.

On Tuesday night, following Governor Murphy’s announcement, principal Mark Stern sent a letter to the Class of 2020 and their families, inviting them to take a survey to determine what they would like to do for an in-person graduation. The administration will be accepting feedback from the surveys through 3 p.m. on Thursday.

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LuvLivLocal, a combined initiative of the Township of Livingston and the The Livingston Community Partnership (Business Improvement District/BID), has been working to support independently owned Livingston businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, LuvLivLocal created a grant program to help businesses negatively impacted by the crisis. This week, it has announced that zoning regulations have been temporarily relaxed through the end of the year to help businesses that have been permitted to re-open by the state.

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